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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. Tim and Moby are in a parlor seated at a harpsichord. Both are dressed in wigs and 18th Century formal clothes. Moby is dressed like Mozart, in a white wig, red jacket, and ruffled shirt. He is playing the harpsichord while Tim is using an ink quill to write down the music he is playing. MOBY: Beep. An image shows a musical score. TIM: I am transcribing correctly, that was a C, not a D. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, could you please make a movie about Mozart? I heard he was really talented. Thanks! From Cheetah15. You heard right. An image shows Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart against a background of a musical score. TIM: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the world’s most important composers. He wrote more than 600 pieces, including some of the most recognizable tunes in the history of Classical music. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, Classical can refer to a number of different musical styles. An image shows an orchestra. Music: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vernon Handley. TIM: But it generally refers to music played by Western instruments, especially when they’re grouped into an orchestra. MOBY: Beep. Tim and Moby are seated by the piano. Tim has a compact disc and gives it to Moby. Moby inserts it into his mouth and each of his ears turn into speakers. TIM: Here, listen for yourself. This is Mozart’s “Symphony Number 40.” Music: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: Allegro molto, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vernon Handley. The symphony starts to play. An image of a violin is shown. TIM: Notice how the violins establish a simple memorable theme or melody. Mozart skillfully wove multiple themes together in his symphonies or long orchestra pieces. An image shows three woodwind instruments. TIM: Hear how the woodwinds start a second theme, which sort of winds around the first one? An image shows a cello. TIM: And the other strings jump in, adding force and emotional depth to the mix. MOBY: Beep. An image shows Mozart writing music at his desk. TIM: You bet he was versatile. Mozart wrote music for every major form of classical music. An image shows a group of musicians playing string instruments. TIM: He brought chamber music, performed by small groups of instruments, to new heights of complexity. An image shows a pianist performing with an orchestra behind him. TIM: And he almost single-handedly popularized the piano concerto, which features a solo piano backed up by an orchestra. MOBY: Beep. An animation shows a map of Austria and the city of Salzburg. An image shows a young Mozart. TIM: Mozart was born in Austria in 1756, and he showed a knack for music from the start. An image shows a young, smiling Mozart watching his father and sister at the harpsichord. TIM: As a three-year old he was fascinated by the harpsichord lessons his father Leopold gave his sister. An animation shows Mozart playing the harpsichord with colorful music notes rising up from it. TIM: When Mozart tried pressing the keys himself, Leopold was shocked. The boy could play. He knew which notes sounded right, and he could play any tune after hearing it just once. By the age of four, Mozart was composing his own original music. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yep, four. An image shows a young Mozart playing the piano in a parlor with four adults watching him. TIM: Word began spreading about this amazing child genius, so Leopold took Wolfgang on the road to show him off. An animation shows Mozart at a social event growing from a boy to a man. TIM: For nine years, Mozart traveled all over Europe, performing for royalty and hobnobbing with famous musicians. In Italian cities like Milan and Venice, he got his first taste of the lighter style that defined the Classical period of music history. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, it’s a little confusing. An image shows a bar map with the title History of Classical Music. It lists the names of musical periods by years. TIM: Classical music, in general, has a long history. But music produced between 1730 and 1820 is considered the Classical style. Pieces from this period emphasized simplicity, balance, and proportion. Moby stands up and conducts. Music: Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, K. 183, Allegro Con Brio, performed by the Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields and Neville Marriner. TIM: At the same time, individual pieces often included a wide range of moods and tones. The dramatic emotional shifts in “Symphony Number 25” are a good example. Believe it or not, Mozart wrote this when he was only seventeen. An image shows Mozart watching an opera performed on stage. TIM: Italy also introduced Mozart to opera, a form of music that tells a story through singing and acting. An image shows a scene from Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro.” TIM: In fact, the operas he composed later on, like “The Marriage of Figaro” and “The Magic Flute (mentioned),” were among his greatest successes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Nope, he didn’t spend his entire life on tour. An image shows Mozart in a city. TIM: In 1781, he wound up settling down in Vienna, Austria. An image shows Mozart playing the piano on stage in a concert hall. TIM: He performed in concert as a solo pianist, and churned out most of his beloved symphonies, concertos, string quartets, and operas. An image shows Mozart with his wife. TIM: He married a singer named Constanze Weber in 1782, and the happy couple went on to have six children, though only two survived to adulthood. An image shows composer Joseph Haydn with a musical score in the background. TIM: He also became close friends with Joseph Haydn, probably the most well-respected composer in Europe at the time. Moby stands up and starts conducting. Music: Overture for The Magic Flute, performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Laszlo Heltay, and Neville Marriner. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah well, unfortunately, Mozart’s career and his life were short. Despite his great successes, he was unable to manage his money. Working tirelessly to pay off debt, Mozart’s health began to suffer. An image shows a very sick Mozart on his deathbed surrounded by concerned people. TIM: In September of 1791, he became seriously ill, and he died just a few months later. He was only thirty-five years old. Moby’s ears are headphones as Mozart’s “Requiem Mass” plays. TIM: Mozart never got to complete his final work, the “Requiem Mass.” But it was eventually finished by another composer, and it remains one of his most recognized pieces. Of course, the rest of his music lives on too. You can make a strong argument that he’s the most celebrated composer of all time. Tim gives Moby the piece of music he’s been transcribing and hands it to Moby. TIM: Here you go, Maestro. MOBY: Beep. Moby looks at it and plays “Chopsticks” on the harpsichord. TIM: Hmmm. Sounds strangely familiar. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts